


Heathen Clung to the Homily

by WhumpTown



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Beyer/Hopper Family, Big family, F/M, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Grumpy Jim "Chief" Hopper, Jopper, Protective Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Small House, adopted family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 10:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19851658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhumpTown/pseuds/WhumpTown
Summary: Hopper comes home from a hard day at work to find all of the kids waiting for him. Strangely, he can't imagine a world without them





	Heathen Clung to the Homily

Every day he opens the door from a long shift to find that he's clocked out of one job into another. Exhausted, nerves frayed from a day he can't talk to them about, and he's greeted at the door by silence. Someone is always there. Whether it's someone he expects, like El or Joyce, or someone he expects the least, like Steve or Nancy, without fail it's someone. 

Today, no one.

He's glad. Only for a fleeting second is he glad before mild panic sets in. Dustin doesn't announce his arrival. The kids are over every day, to his annoyance and secret joy, and no matter who opens the door Dustin announces him like a football player on the tv. 

" _Why do you all insist on coming here?" Hopper had just gotten from a late shift, Ms. Donnalee's cat had gotten stuck in a tree and thought it necessary for Hopper, and only Hopper, to get her cat down. He'd promised to grill out which meant Joyce was frustrated, yet understanding, El was mad, Will was hungry, and Jonathan as indifferent as usual_. 

_Not to mention Nancy, Steve, Lucas, Max, Mike, and Dustin. All of whom were waiting to be fed too_.

" _Huh? Makes no sense." He'd angrily flipped a burger his voice missing the edge it needed for them to know he meant it. "Mike's house has a huge ass basement! You pass Lucas’ house, Max's house, Dustin's house, and all to get to our tiny little hut in the sticks of fucking nowhere?" Hopper runs a tired hand over his face, shoulders sagging but completely accepting when Joyce wraps her arms around him. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day. I just-I-," he sighs tired and frustrated with himself_.

_It's, surprisingly, Mike that answers him. "Hop?" He waits for Hopper to acknowledge him. Getting a small nod from him. "If we go to my house, Steve won't eat any of the food. Dustin's mom can't understand what it is that we've all been through. Will can't sleep at Lucas’, it's too loud. Max… she doesn't feel safe at our houses. So we come here."_

_Hopper understands exactly what Mike isn't saying. Joyce and Hopper have given this ragtag group of misfits a home whether they like it or not. Joyce is loving and understanding, gentle and kind in ways that should be impossible after all they've been through._

_"That," Dustin breaks him from his thoughts," and we wouldn't get to see you, Cheif." He smiles at Hopper, all goofy and Steve nods in agreeance throwing an arm around his friend. "Who else would make us hamburgers, smores, and yell at us to go to bed?"_

Lost in the memory, Joyce startles him when she tucks him into her warm embrace. He doesn't get far, allowing himself to become the center of the beginnings of a large group hug. El tucks herself against his side, a fistful of his uniform keeping her centered. He's not sure the order that the rest follow. He just knows that right there, in the middle of the chaos, he breathes for the first time all day. 

Things turn as chaotic as they always do. Dustin accidentally elbows Max. Steve yells at Max for yelling at Dustin. Nancy yells at both of them. El steps on his toes. Jonathan startles to wiggle his way out. Will holds on a little tighter. He hates to admit it but he loves them. 

“Oh, hey, Hop, I forgot to mention…” there’s a ridiculously sharp elbow that digs into his gut. He recognizes Steve’s voice above the rest. “Joyce already met her-” Steve untangles himself from the mass, motioning someone over that Hopper hadn’t seen yet. Hopper rolls his eyes, not really in the mood to meet one of Steve’s flings. To his surprise, this girl looks nothing like the usual girls Steve fancies.

“-this is Robin!” Steve throws an arm around her shoulders, digging his fist into her arm in a that two boys would. It throws Hopper. Steve smiles proudly at him but it quickly slips away to a more serious face. “She’s a lesbian, her parents kicked her out.”

Hopper takes a deep breath, a headache fastly approaching. He can see the fear that momentarily flashes in the girl's eyes. She thinks he’s about to scream at her about God, religion, and slur her for her feelings. He just shrugs,” Robin was it?”

She nods.

“Welcome to the family, Robin. The sofas a pullout, you can sleep there until we can get you a real bed.” The words leave his mouth before he’s truly processed what he’s said. In the grand scheme, he can hardly see how one more kid in their house will affect things. As is, Nancy spends more nights here than she does at her own home. Steve got kicked out after his eighteenth birthday. Not to mention, the boys and Max are always over too. 

It must be the right thing to say, he’s showered in kisses and arms squeezing his waist.

“Hopper’s home.” He’d forgotten about Erica. Not really sure how he managed that given that the kid never shuts up but… well, hell, he likes her. She’s interesting, provides conversations in topics he actually understands. She’s a character though, an odd one.

Lucas rolls his eyes nearly into his head,” yeah, we know Erica.”

They excuse him to the lazy boy, not a soul daring to make fun of him, this time when his joints pop and he exhales loudly. It takes about three seconds after he’s found a position he’s comfortable in before El climbs up the side and deposits herself on the arm of it, moving his hand to make more room for herself. It’s because of this exact habit of hers that they keep the sofa pushed against the lazy-boy. 

Taking cues from El, the others file in. Mike curls on to the arm of the couch and El cuddles her boyfriend, much to Hopper's distress. The other’s file in. Joyce sits on the other end of the sofa, sharing it with Jonathon and Nancy. Steve sits down on the floor beside the lazy-boy, Robin gives Hopper a weary look but Steve tugs her down. ‘ _He’s a softy, really._ ’ Hopper grunts at that, if he weren’t so tired he’d probably smack the back of Steve’s head. Instead, El nudges Hopper and they both settle down.

Dustin leans his head on Steve’s legs and the boys and Max and Erica become a giggling mass of tangled limbs. 

Hopper falls asleep, finally at ease.

\--------------------------

“Go to bed,” Joyce knows that Hoppper’s going to have to shout at the boys before they really settle down but it’s 10 and it’s summer so she doesn’t let it bother her. Sleepovers are every night nowadays. All the boys piled up in Will’s room, Max and Erica giggling in El’s. After a weird conversation between Jonathan and Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan in his room.

Then came Steve. To Joyce’s surprise him moving in was all Hopper. He came home one day and Steve was trailing like a puppy with his suitcases. Hopper put him on the sofa for a month before they squished him in. Now, he’s got a cot in Will’s room, a thick comforter separating their spaces. 

Now Robin. The girl had been terrified, her shoulders still squared and jaw set. Joyce felt awful for her immediately started planning how they would work Robin into El’s room. Then Hopper came home. Given that Steve had told them just how badly her parents had taken the news of her sexuality, Joyce could understand Robin becoming visibly concerned when Hopper came in. 

Her attention slipped a little from Robin to Hopper. They’d heard the radio call for him to meet at a scene. They stayed on long enough to know that the Cheif’s death a town over was putting a lot of responsibility on Hopper and that now that a child had been found dead he had to deal with that too. 

Que the group hug. 

“Hop,” she shakes his arm, not pleased with how easily he wakes from his slumber. He’s stressing himself out over this case and he’s not sleeping enough. He can’t afford what little sleep he does get to be shitty enough that all she has to do is nudge him to wake him. “Hey, let’s go to bed.”

She directs him back towards their room, smiling when he stops at the first door they come to. He looks at her and then at Jonathan’s door,” I just-” She nods her understanding, after a long day looking and analyzing a dead child’s body all she wants to do it hold her children in her arms. She can understand just glancing in and checking up. She decides to watch him from their bedroom door.

He knocks on Jonathon’s door and opens it when the teen voices a sleepy ‘come in!’. Hopper stands in the doorway, not too bothered with walking inside. He looks at Jonathan and Nancy, the two of them already curled up and Nancy half asleep as she smiles at him. “Just… Everything good? Are you-Are you okay?”

Jonathan smiles, knowing what Hopper means without the man saying it. He nudges Nancy,” we’re fine, Hop. Nancy’s a bit of cover hog but I’ll manage.” Nancy smacks Jonathan’s arm but it’s delivered with such care that Hopper decides he feels safe leaving the two of them here.

“Just… checking in. Sleep well, and, don’t keep the kids up.”

Next is Will’s room and the boys all fall silent the minute they hear the door creak. They all stare, wide-eyed, at him. He stares back before seeing the D&D book under Will’s pillow. He sighs but it’s affectionate,” boys…”

Will’s cheek flush with crimson,” H-Hop, please? Come on, ten minutes? Then we promise, cross our hearts.” Will moves closer to the edge of the bed, begging with those sad brown eyes. Recently, those big brown eyes have been melting his heart as much as El’s. So he nods, for whatever reason and he can’t lie that their happy cheers and haste thanks don’t bring a grin to his face. 

“El?” He opens the girls’ room and it’s silent. All piled up on El’s bed, they’re asleep. He steps in, body heavy as he yearns to sleep as peacefully as they do. He brushes a soft curl from El’s face and kisses her forehead. 

It’s just enough movement on his half to wake Max, she blinks at him a few times before greeting him with a tired,” Hop?” He pats her shoulder and she turns over, wrapping an arm around El and falling back to sleep. He leaves before he wakes up Erica and El.

“Better?” Joyce is in their bed when he comes in. She’s got one of his shirts on and is waiting under the sheets for him to join. He nods his head and tugs his shirt off his arms. She watches with minimal interest,” you scared poor Robin half to death with your snoring. Thought she was gonna run on us.”

He sighs and, now pantless, climbs into bed in just his boxers. With a moment's hesitations, he lets himself be pulled against Joyce's side. “Wanna talk about it?” She cards her fingers through his hair, detangling and soothing it out after a day of being wrung by his anxious hands. 

He shakes his head but then those pleading brown eyes come back to his mind. So bright, so Will. “It was a fucking kid, Joyce,” his voice is softer than a whisper. “He looked just like Will and everyone… they, God, they couldn’t do what I needed. What this kid needed.” Hopper's hands tremble despite his best attempt to keep himself calm. “It took me back, Joyce. I was helpless because this time… God, he looked so much like our Will.”

Her heart aches at the tremble in his voice. She pulls him closer and the full meaning of his words sink in. “ _Our_ Will”. She cries. Tears just streaming down her face and he pulls away when he feels one land on his head. “Hey? I thought you were comforting me here,” his voice is soft, a small jab before he pulls her against him this time. “What the hell got into you?”

She shakes her head and buries her face into his chest. 

“Joyce?” He rubs her back,” come on.” She shakes her head and he has no idea what he’s done. Usually, if she’s mad they yell at each other. She doesn’t cry and thank God because he understands yelling. This crying thing is making kind of uncomfortable.

“Y-You,” she pulls away, taking his hands after a soft jab at his chest. “Y-You fucking said _our_ Will you big softy.” Another tear falls down her cheek and he brushes it away. She leans into his side again,” I’m sorry, I just… Four years ago, our lives were a mess. You drank and took pills to get you through the day. I worked all day into the night because I couldn’t face my kids feeling like a failure. I blamed myself for Lonie.” He squeezes when she admits that last sentence and she knows it’s his way of saying it wasn’t her fault.

She puts a hand to his chest,” and now, because of some nerdy middle school kids, we’re a family, Hop. A goddamn, bonified family.”

Hopper nods, with a little shrug,” yeah, Joyce. Why has that got you crying all the damn sudden, nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought something was _actually_ wrong.” She smacks his bare arm, hard, but he just smiles even bigger. “Oh, please, you know you’ve gotten soft with all these kids running about.” She sees his train of thought turn and he pauses before asking,” speaking of kids, Robin. El wants a blue comforter to separate her half from Robin’s.”

Joyce just stares at him. The intensity makes him blush. She smiles, fondly she sits up enough so that she can kiss his cheek,” you already-when did you talk to El?” She loves this big lump of a man with all her heart. 

He opens and shuts his mouth, she loves him but he’s honestly an idiot sometimes. He bites his tongue before deciding,” uhm, I was kind of sleeping. El just asked if Robin could share her room and I told they’d have to talk about a color to pick for the color of their ‘wall’. She said Robin likes blue so she wants blue.”

Joyce throws herself on to her back. She wipes her eyes, pushing away the new ones threatening to boil over. She clears her throat of the thick emotion,” Jim?” The lack of nickname startles him for a moment but he curls his body around her. “Thank you. For-For,” she looks up at the ceiling,” God, _all_ of this. I don’t know who I would be without all these kids.”

He’s already nodding back off, it takes him a long moment to put together the words he’s looking for. He finds them,” I love you, Joyce.” She moves around so she can press a kiss to his lips and he smiles sleepily at her. “Plus, don’t have… so many kids to watch if they’re all here.” 

She shakes her head, affectionately running her hands over his body. Soaking in his warmth and rolling her eyes when he starts to snore. She sighs and moves closer to him,” I love you too, Hop.”


End file.
